Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is standing up for former President Donald Trump after a Manhattan jury found him guilty on 34 counts of sham charges.
DeSantis declared that Trump hasn’t lost his right to vote in Florida despite being convicted of “felony” charges. Typically, if someone is convicted in court of a felony, it makes them ineligible to cast a ballot in the state.
“Former President Donald Trump hasn’t lost his voting rights in Florida. Rights are not removed in Florida where they haven’t yet been stripped in the convicting jurisdiction,” DeSantis wrote on social media.
“That said, given the absurd nature of the New York prosecution of Trump, this would be an easy case to qualify for restoration of rights per the Florida Clemency Board, which I chair,” he continued. "The bottom line is that Donald Trump’s vote this November will be one of millions that demonstrate Florida is now a solid Republican state!”
Former President Donald Trump hasn't lost his voting rights in Florida. Rights are not removed in Florida where they haven't yet been stripped in the convicting jurisdiction.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) June 1, 2024
That said, given the absurd nature of the New York prosecution of Trump, this would be an easy case to…
In 2018, Florida voters approved a state constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to those convicted of felonies. However, the Republican-controlled Legislature demolished the bill and imposed requirements that they first pay all fines, fees, and court costs before they vote.
In other states, such as New York, felons lose their right to vote in elections while incarcerated, but those rights are automatically restored once they are released.
Despite being a longtime New Yorker and doing business in the Democrat state, Trump made Florida his permanent residence in 2019.
In any other circumstance, the charges against Trump would have been considered just misdemeanors for which the statute of limitations had already expired. However, the progressive left DA prosecuted the case as a felony, arguing that Trump falsified business records to cover up a federal crime.
Trump is slated to appear before court on July 11 for his sentencing— just four days before the Republican National Convention (RNC) takes place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley argued that Trump's verdict was "handed down by a partisan and biased judge,” saying that Democrats have "weaponized" the justice system to get the 2024 frontrunner out of the picture.